West Point feeling effects of shutdown

HIGHLANDS — As the federal government shutdown drags on, West Point officials say veterans, retirees, cadets and professors are already feeling the effects.

James Nani

HIGHLANDS — As the federal government shutdown drags on, West Point officials say veterans, retirees, cadets and professors are already feeling the effects.

Military faculty and staff have begun filling in for the 132 furloughed civilian professors and nine military trainers on the academic side of the academy, says West Point spokesman LTC Webster Wright III.

"The ability to educate cadets is severely degraded during the shutdown period," Wright says. "The student-to-teacher ratio has increased, resulting in less individual attention to the cadets (and) there are fewer personnel to assist with their mandated projects."

Instructors are also having to prepare for increased work loads because they may be teaching subjects they're not familiar with, Wright added.

Nearly 150,000 retirees use services at West Point, Wright says. Many use the commissary, that offers groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families at lower prices. In total, more than 1,400 civilians have been furloughed at West Point.